Advances in high-speed networks and computer processing resources have resulted in the proliferation of a wide variety of different realtime software applications, including realtime communications systems (e.g., text chat, voice, and video communication systems) and realtime data streaming systems that require fast response times (e.g., online financial trading systems). A realtime software application operates on a computer in an application environment created by a computer operating system. The computer operating system typically provides a standardized, consistent application programming interface (API) between the realtime software application program and the computer system hardware. The API typically allows the realtime software application to interface with or access the computer system hardware in a standardized manner through a set of low-level primitives. The low-level primitives must be integrated by low-level plumbing code into higher-level functionality that supports the realtime functionality required by realtime software applications. The minimal development support provided by a computer operating system imposes a considerable burden on the developers of realtime software applications: not only is significant effort needed to write the underlying plumbing code, but also the intrinsic complexity of wiring code that interacts directly with low-level primitives inevitably increases the time needed to develop realtime software applications.